Oddity by Damian McCarthy is one of the best horror movies that I’ve seen in 2024. Having never watched anything by the director or writer, I came into this because the trailer was spot on in the realm of things that I liked. It had a creepy introduction of a man coming to warn a woman in the middle of the night that there was someone in her house, the occult, and a weird wooden creation that people put their hands in the mouths of. Check marks all around. And by the end of the movie, I was so satisfied with what happened to the real villain, even though it was painful what had to happen to get there.
If you don’t want to read spoilers, this is where you stop.
Oddity turned my expectations all on its head when it was revealed that the stranger Olin, who appeared at Dani’s door, was actually looking out for her. And McCarthy really constructed a terrifying introduction where I was sure that he was the one who killed her. I was also sure that some monster killed Olin later on. And I was sure the house itself was haunted. But Oddity barely leans into the supernatural of it all. Instead, it leans into the human element and the real horrors in life. It’s something that I talked about and my review for The Beast Within starring Harington. That movie, the real horror was the humans. And the same thing could be said for Oddity.
Dani’s husband Ted set everything up so his wife could be murdered and the house that they bought together and were renovating could be his because he was having an affair. And Olin, one of his patients, was recently released from a mental hospital and immediately went to warn her about the things that he had heard. And watching it, I wouldn’t have opened the door either if I were Dani. Olin was exactly the kind of person they tell you to watch out for and spooky stories. But Olin was right. There was someone in there with her. And I loved the way that the movie gently revealed that there was someone in the house with the camera, the framing of it all with the door and the window Olin was looking into, or even how the frame stood still on Dani as she was looking around. It all had a distinct tone of being unnerving.
Personally, I feel like in anyone else’s hand, this wouldn’t have worked. And I don’t even know the director. That’s how distinct this movie is. Oddity took its time in creating tension with the way it held on to certain places and people within the movie. It’s music wasn’t a Hollywood archetype of prepping for jump-scare after jump-scare. In a way, it felt like McCarthy trusted me as a consumer of horror. And it paid off because the simplicity of it all, really pinned me down. Even the wooden occult monster of it all, that was dealt with a delicate hand where you weren’t sure if it was actually moving or if it was your imagination. So that doubt about the reality of the situation wasn’t only in the characters like Dani, Yana or Ted. It was also with the viewer, making it feel like we’re part of this movie.
For all that I feel that this movie was terrifying, I also think it was heartbreaking. No one will understand you like the person who shared a womb with you. And the death of Dani left Darcy feeling like she was missing a limb. By the end of the movie, you realized how truly broken she was by her sister’s death and the lengths that she was willing to go aka killing Olin. There was no monster. It was just her. And when she found out that Dani’s husband was the reason why her sister was dead, Darcy planned. I don’t think that she thought she was going to get out of this alive either. Sacrifice is a key tenant in the occult, what she knew about. So when the husband came for Darcy, she would be ready to make that sacrifice to connect with the wooden monster. But I am on the fence about whether she walked forward and through that trap door accidentally or on purpose.
Then there’s that ending.
Oddity had me in a tension-filled chokehold the entirety of the movie. And with Darcy dead, Yana gone, I was sure that Ted would make it out alive. Horror has had this weird trend in the last decade where the bad guy comes back at the end and the good guys die. And I’m not saying Ted is a good guy. But I haven’t trusted horror to give me what I need as a viewer. Oddity, once again, proved that it understood what the audience needed. And when Ted rang that bell, I waited. I hoped that the touch of supernatural that we saw with the wooden man also accounted for the bell. And I don’t think there are enough words in the English language to express how satisfied I was with that final scene of him sitting there with a sure and smug grin with the dead butler standing right next to him.
Oddity is the kind of movie that I wish Hollywood would take more chances on. Horror has become stagnant and a cash cow. And the creativity has dried up on the big screen for major studios. And I will definitely be investing more time in learning about this director and any related work in the IFC and Shudder backlog. Because this was entertaining. There have to be more creators like this. I just haven’t found them yet.
Oddity is available to rent/buy now.
